


Seven Words To Say 'I Love You'

by xxPrettyLittleTimeBombxx



Series: Jukebox Singles [1]
Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, I just want more soft juke moments y'all, Jealousy, Pining, Post-Canon, Post-Season/Series 01, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, because apparently writing jealous Luke is my new favorite thing, no beta we die like our favorite ghost band
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 12:41:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28688820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxPrettyLittleTimeBombxx/pseuds/xxPrettyLittleTimeBombxx
Summary: “Luke is like a house plant. Not very good at vocalizing what he needs, but you sure can tell when he’s not getting enough sunlight— or you’ve forgotten to water him.”“So you’re saying I should try hosing Luke down when he gets back…?” Julie asks slowly.“More like he just needs a healthy dose of love and attention—“ Alex starts.“From one person in particular!” Reggie adds.- OR-A jealous Luke doesn't know how to use his words to tell Julie what he needs-- luckily Alex and Reggie are fluent in Luke-speak and make sure Julie gives him the tlc he's been sorely lacking.
Relationships: Alex Mercer & Julie Molina, Alex Mercer & Julie Molina & Luke Patterson & Reggie Peters, Julie Molina & Reggie Peters, Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Series: Jukebox Singles [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2132940
Comments: 46
Kudos: 352





	Seven Words To Say 'I Love You'

**Author's Note:**

> This is a byproduct of a late-night Juke spiral with my friend Jenni (who also drew some beautiful art for this one-shot, which you can see at the end of the fic!)-- it's really just an excuse to make a silly analogy about Luke being like a houseplant, so please just enjoy it for what it is!

Julie’s not quite sure how she ended up locked in a verbal spar by the basketball hoop that hangs out by the studio with one, Luke Patterson— but it’s definitely not the way she’d envisioned her afternoon going.

She’s not even entirely sure how they’d gotten to this point.

One minute she’d been bounding down the steps, excited to finally get some good writing time in after weeks of promised rain checks. The next thing she knows, Luke’s making some ridiculous remark about how she’s surprised she could drag herself away from Nick for long enough to write with him in the first place.

“I’m just saying that it’s a conflict of interest, that’s all!” Luke says exasperatedly.

“To write a song with Nick? For a _school assignment_?” Julie seethes.

“To write a song with _anyone_ that isn’t your band without asking _everyone_ in your band if they’re okay with it!”

“Are you even listening to yourself right now? It’s a _mandatory assignment_ — it’s half my grade— do you know what happens if I don’t turn it in?”

Luke opens his mouth to say something else but Julie cuts him off before he can. “News flash: I flunk out, and then they kick me out of the music program— _and then_ my dad pulls me out of the band. But you know, if this is all just some round about way of kicking me out, I’m sure I can make your life easier by just quitting instead.”

“Don’t be stupid,” he starts. “I never said I wanted you to quit—“

“ _I’m_ being stupid?” Julie asks angrily.

“ _This_ is stupid,” Luke says suddenly, gesturing between them. “You know what? Write with whoever the hell you want— see if I care.”

“ _Fine_. I will!”

“ _Good._ ”

If Luke’s about to poof out, Julie doesn’t plan to give him the satisfaction of knowing she watched him do so. Instead, she lets out an exasperated groan, turns on her heel, and storms into the studio. In hindsight, it probably wasn’t her best exit plan, but she’s already committed and she has no intention of coming back from the way she came.

Julie’s tending to the plants her mom had long since put by the window in the studio when she hears the double doors begin to creak open.

“If you came to fight some more, you can just see yourself out again. I don’t have anything else I want to say to you—“ she starts as she turns tiredly in the direction of the noise. She’d been so sure she’d find Luke standing at the door that she startles when her eyes take in the sight of Alex and Reggie instead. “Oh…it’s just you two.”

“ _Just_ us?” Reggie starts. “Julie, I’m hurt!”

“ _Dude_!” Alex hisses, shoving at Reggie’s shoulder.

“Sorry,” Julie says tiredly, rubbing at her eyes with the hand that’s not currently holding a watering can.

“Bad day?” Alex asks, shoving his hands into the pocket of his pink hoodie.

“I don’t want to talk about Lu— _it_ ,” Julie sighs, taking in the way Alex’s brows raise when he catches her slip up. “He um…he didn’t come back with you two did he?” She asks, warily.

“Nope!” Reggie supplies cheerfully. He bounds forward until he’s close enough to lean on her mother’s piano.

“He’s…out trying to clear his head,” Alex offers, coming over to stand next to his friend. “And it looks like you’re in here trying to do the same. Do you want us to…not be here?”

“No, stay— please,” she says quickly. “You two can distract me from…you know.”

“ _Not_ thinking about the thing you _don’t_ want to talk about?” Alex supplies knowingly.

“Want me to beat him up for you?” Reggie asks.

“You _really_ think you’re going to win in a fight against Luke?” Alex asks.

“What? I’m stronger than I look! You’d bet on me, wouldn’t you, Julie?” Reggie quips, puffing out his chest. He doesn’t wait for Julie to weigh in before he starts speaking again. “ _Orrrr_ ….we could prank him! Alex, you and Julie can distract him, and I’ll poof up to the loft and hide all of his tanks and cut offs— we can force him into wearing sleeves for weeks! The ultimate form of torture! Whaddaya say, Julie?”

“He’s just being so ridiculous, you know?” Julie exclaims suddenly. Both boys jump when she slams the watering can down on the window sill in favor of reaching into a bucket for a set of pruning shears.

“You’re going to have to be a bit more specific than that,” Alex says finally. “Unless, you know, you still don’t want to talk about it.”

“And where does he get off? Insinuating that I’m betraying the band just because I’m writing a song with Nick— it’s _for school_! Not all of us can just _drop out_!” She continues, angrily snipping away at a succulent that’s looking a little worse for wear. “What’s his issue with Nick anyway? Nick’s _nice—_ and Luke doesn’t even _know_ him!”

Reggie snickers, doing an awful job of trying to hide the fact that he’s holding in a laugh, choking on the air caught in his lungs when Alex elbows him roughly in the side.

“What’s so funny?” Julie asks, eyes narrowing in on her bandmates curiously. “Did I miss some big joke or something?”

“ _Or something_ …” Alex mutters. “It’s nothing,” he says loudly. “Please, continue.”

“Yeah,” Reggie chimes in. “It’s not healthy to keep all of that rage bottled up inside— just look at what happens to Luke whenever he holds it all in instead of talking about his feelings.”

“But he knows he can talk to me, right?” Julie asks suddenly, voice devoid of all of its previous heat as it takes on a tone closer to worry. “All of you know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

“Of course we do,” Alex says as Reggie nods vigorously next to him. “It’s just…well…you know how Luke is. He just…doesn’t like to burden other people with his problems— _especially_ not you.”

Julie chews over Alex’s words, finding truth in them when she recalls the conversation she’d had when she’d gone to his parent’s house with the intent to deliver “Unsaid Emily.” She thinks about how Luke had reacted when she’d confessed that she was worried about him. About the way his reflex response was to tell her she didn’t have to be— his words laced not with anger or annoyance over the fact that she’d been trying to go behind his back to make things right, but with a soft tone that suggested he didn’t want her to feel obligated to help him carry the baggage that was weighing him down.

“But the thing about Luke,” Alex continues gently, drawing Julie’s attention away from her thoughts and back on to him. “Is that Luke is kind of like—“

“A hamster!” Reggie supplies, effectively cutting the blond off.

“Yeah. Wait. What? No,” Alex says, shooting Reggie a perplexed look.

“Your favorite teddy bear?” The bassist offers up after his first suggestion gets shot down.

“ _Reggie_ …”

“A gremlin?” He tries again. “You really shouldn’t feed Luke after midnight either, you know.”

Alex lets out an exasperated sigh which Reggie ignores in favor of continuing.

“He’ll tell you that he’ll be fine— but he always gets the worst tummy aches whenever he eats too late.”

“That’s… _okay_ …yeah, that’s true— but no,” Alex says tiredly.

“Ohh! A house plant!”

“You know what?” Alex says suddenly. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but that one actually works."

“ _Really_?” Reggie and Julie say at the same time.

“Really,” Alex nods. “Luke _is_ sort of like a house plant. Not very good at vocalizing what he needs, but you sure can tell when he’s not getting enough sunlight— or you’ve forgotten to water him.”

“So you’re saying I should try hosing Luke down when he gets back…?” Julie asks slowly.

“More like he just needs a healthy dose of love and attention—“ Alex starts.

“From _one person_ in particular!” Reggie adds.

“And if he goes without those for too long, he sort of just…” Alex continues, gesturing with his hands as he flounders for the right analogy. “Starts to wilt.”

“Like a poor little delicate flower,” Reggie coos.

“Does that make sense?” Alex asks, brows knotting together.

And to Julie, it does make sense. Because suddenly, Luke’s seemingly unprovoked outburst with regards to her school project with Nick makes much more sense.

“You guys wouldn’t happen to know where he is, would you?” Julie asks hopefully, relief washing over her when she sees matching grins pull across both Reggie and Alex’s faces.

She finds him at the beach right where the boys said he’d be. His feet are dug into the sand, and he’s strumming idly away at his guitar, fingers toying with a tune she’s never heard him play before.

Julie stops when she’s a few feet behind him and lets herself bask in the way Luke seems to create music so effortlessly. Like he breathes it out the way others let out the air in their lungs. And she can’t help but laugh over the way he moves to set his guitar down on the sand next to him before thinking better of it, shrugging out of the sleeveless blue hoodie he’d worn that day and laying that down first before carefully setting his six-string on top of it.

He startles when she drops down on the sand next to him on his free side, coughing to play off the fact that she’d obviously surprised him with her presence.

“What are you doing here?” He asks, keeping his gaze trained on the waterline in front of them, eyes squinting into the setting sun.

“I’m watering my favorite houseplant,” Julie says through a shrug and a warm smile.

“What?” He asks, his eyes finally sliding over to hers.

And Julie has to bite her cheek in an effort to stave off another giggle over the adorably confused expression that crosses over his features.

“It’s not important,” she says shaking her head. “The point is, that I know I haven’t had much time to just…hang out lately. Honestly? I thought you probably wouldn’t even notice much of a difference since I’ve still been showing up to band practice.”

“I always notice when you’re not around as much,” Luke starts quietly. “I miss you when you’re not around as much.”

He whispers the last part of his sentence so quietly, Julie almost thinks she might have imagined it. But then Luke suddenly becomes very interested in the way his fingers are drawing patterns in the sand between them, and Julie marvels over the way a wash of pink materializes across his cheeks. In all of the years she’d spent imagining ghosts as a kid, she’d never once imagined them being able to blush. Then again, she also never imagined they’d look much like Luke Patterson either.

“I miss you when I’m not around as much too,” she says finally, heart fluttering away in her chest when her words coax a small smile out of him. “You know I’ve always got time for you though, right? Even when it seems like I might be too busy with school, or friends, or my dad, or Carlos? Even when it might seem to you like I don’t?”

“I know,” he sighs. “Sorry I’ve been acting so…weird about it. It’s just…sometimes I wish that…”

“Sometimes you wish, what?”

“Nothing— it’s stupid,” he waves off through an exhale.

Julie’s so enthralled by the desire to know— by the way Luke says _it’s nothing_ , but the tone of his voice hints at the idea that it’s anything _but_ nothing. And maybe that’s what gives her the courage to do what she does next. Because before she can second guess herself, Julie’s reaching out, fingers curving over Luke’s chin so she can turn his head toward her.

His brow is furrowed, eyes guarded, as they meet hers.

“Whatever it is, it’s not stupid,” she says encouragingly, breath catching in her throat when she takes in the way his eyes soften at her words.

“I love it when the band hangs out together,” he starts slowly. “But sometimes, I just wish I could have you all to myself for a little bit.”

He’s so close when he whispers the words, Julie can feel his breath fan across her face. And she can’t find it in herself to speak just yet, still too stunned by the admission Luke’s left hanging between them. Frozen over the realization that despite the way they’ve been dancing around each other since they met, despite the way they pretend they’re friends and nothing more, despite the fact that they find themselves existing in this in-between space that they’ve carved out for themselves because neither of them are ready to lay all of their cards out on the table just yet, there’s no denying the connection they share. There’s no denying the way it often feels as if there’s an invisible string that tethers them to each other. An invisible string that tugs incessantly at her heart and begs her to give in to the pull that beckons her closer. And for the first time since she’d come to terms with her own feelings for the boy currently sitting next to her on the beach, Julie doesn’t question it when her mind floats the idea that maybe, despite the fact that Luke’s own heart had stopped beating long ago, he feels that same incessant tug that begs him to draw closer too.

“Sorry,” he adds after a moment when the silence stretches out for far too long between them. “Maybe I shouldn’t have said that.”

She doesn’t speak out to tell him that he’s got it all wrong— or to say that she doesn’t want him to take it back now that he’s said it.

Instead, Julie leans forward and presses her lips to the curve of his cheek. Because she wants to. Because she can now ever since she saved all three of them from Caleb's club stamps after The Orpheum. Because she knows that sometimes, words aren't enough and that actions speak louder.

His skin is as warm as he makes her feel, and the barest hint of stubble that tickles at her mouth makes her lips tingle. She lingers against his cheek for a moment longer than she’d meant to, enjoying the closeness, before she eventually ducks her head and rests it on his shoulder, looping her arm through his as she presses into his side.

“What was that for?” Luke asks, head coming down to rest on top of hers.

“For nothing…” Julie whispers, staring out toward the water. “For everything.”

He chuckles warmly in response, nuzzling his head against her own before letting out a content sigh.

“What was that song from earlier? The one you were playing before I sat down?” Julie asks after a while.

“I’m not sure yet,” Luke replies. “Just something I was playing around with.”

“It was pretty,” Julie mumbles. “Can I hear it again?”

She regrets her request the moment Luke obliges and pulls away to grab his guitar-- only for a moment though, because then he’s back, looping her arm through his again and tugging her back into their previous position.

He hums the melody as he strums, and she loves the way that he's pressed so close, she can feel the vibrations of the notes he sings just as well as she can hear them. Julie joins him on his third pass through the chords when her brain picks out the harmony she knows will work best.

“I knew you’d make it better,” Luke says, fingers still plucking away at the strings. “You always make everything better.”

“I think we make each other better,” Julie says on reflex.

The seven words she speaks aloud aren't anything she's never said before, but the weight they carry feels like so much more. And when Luke turns his head so he can brush his lips across her hairline, Julie knows without a shadow of a doubt that he feels it too. That he finally understands that those seven words are merely a placeholder for the three small words she can't quite bring herself to say just yet. Perhaps one day she’ll find the courage to tell him for real. Perhaps one day they’ll _both_ find the courage to tell each other. But for now, it’s enough for Julie to just to sit here with Luke on the beach while he strums away on his guitar as the sun dips low on the horizon, coating them in the golden glow that shines as bright as the love she keeps tucked away in her heart just for him.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, first of all, can we just talk about Jenni's stunning artwork??  
> She captured the moment on the beach so perfectly!! Please go give her all of the love over on [her Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/lovelyrugbee_art/) because it's what she deserves! Also, she's been churning out some fantastic JATP content as of late, and I think it'd be so great if we could get the cast to see some of her work so be sure to tag them in the comments over on Instagram if you head over there to check out the rest of her art!
> 
> I was listening to a lot of Jonna Lee while I wrote this and her song, ["I Wrote This Song"](https://open.spotify.com/track/4xxeba76dCBQdhWxgbIZc4?si=I-7vNVuARdO7Zr-pbDcTHQ) captures Luke's emotions pretty well over the course of this fic, so I like to imagine that he was toying around with an acoustic version of that on the beach.
> 
> Other than that, I hope you all enjoyed this fluffy little one-shot-- I just want all of the soft Juke moments, and until we get those, I guess I'll just be over here trying to bring them to life as best I can with words. 
> 
> As always, I'd love to know what y'all thought of this, so please feel free to drop me a line in the comments and let me know what you thought! This is only my second fic for Juke/JATP, so I'm especially interested to know how you all are liking my take on the characters.
> 
> Your comments and/or kudos always mean the world-- HUGE thank you to all of you who might have caught my first fic for this fandom a few months back. The amount of positive feedback I received on that was so incredibly encouraging and all of the love has definitely left me feeling inspired to write more fics for JATP!
> 
> In between updates, you can come and find me over on [Tumblr](https://xxprettylittletimebombxx.tumblr.com/) and/or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/ElaWithAnE)!


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